Means for attaching electrical appliances to conduit outlet-boxes.



J. E. PARKER 4 D. B. WINTER.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES T0 CONDUIT OUTLET BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 21. 91!. RENEWED SEPT.26, 191s.

1,224,31 6a Patented May 1, 1917.

A TTORNE Y5,

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. PARKER AND DANIEL B. WINTER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TOCROUSE-HINDS COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES TO CONDUIT OUTLET-BOXES.

Application filed July 27, 1911, Serial No. 640,747.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN E. PARKER and DANIEL B. WINTE of Syracuse, inthe county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a certainnew and useful Means for Attaching Electrical Appliances to ConduitOutlet-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the production of means for attachingelectrical appliances to conduit outlet boxes; and it consists in thecombinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention reference is had to the accompanyingdrawing in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views.

taching means.

Fig. 6 is a plan of the detached bridgepiece of the attaching means.

In the various makes of electrical applianoes as switches, the fasteningmembers or screws are not located the same distance apart or the fsamedistance from the centers of the appliances, and in order to adapt thesupports for such appliances to the fastening'screws of the differentmakes, it has been the practice to bore a plurality of pairs of holes toaccommodate the fastening members of the various makes of switches, suchholes being located different distances from the center of the supportand the holes of each pair being located on diametrically opposite sidesof the center.

If, as is sometimes the case, a manufacturer of electrical applianceschanges the positions of the fastening members or screws,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Renewed September 26, 1916. Serial No.

there will be no pair of screw holes spaced the right distance apart toreceive the screws of the new appliance. If by any chance a screw holeof one pair and a screw hole of another pair are spaced the rightdistance to receive the screws of the new appliance, the appliance willbe eccentrically mounted on its support and will present a displeasingappearance to the eye.

Our means for attaching electrical appliances to conduit outlet boxescomprises, an adjustable part or parts adapted to receive the fasteningmembers of different electrical appliances in which the fasteningmembers are differently placed with respect to the centers of theappliances.

1 is the conduit outlet box which may be of any desirable form, size andconstruction the same being here shown as having an opening 2 in oneside thereof, and an internally threaded nipple 3 for connection withthe conduit inclosing the electrical wires.

4 is one form of an electrical appliance as a switch, such appliancehaving fastening members 5, as screws by which the appliance may beattached to its support. In the various makes of switches the screws arespaced different distances apart.

The means for attaching the electrical appliances to the box includesparts for coacting with the fastening members or screws 5 and at leastone of such parts and preferably both being adjustable to differentpositions between the center of the opening 2 and the edge of the margin6 around said opening 2. Said adjustable parts are usually nuts 7movable in a guide groove 8 extending lengthwise of a support or bridgepiece 9 extending across the opening 2, the nuts 7 having their oppositeside faces slidably engaging the side walls of the groove 8 in order toprevent turning of the nuts. Said bridge piece is formed with alengthwise slot 10 opening through the bottom of the guide groove 8.

The threaded screw holes 11 of the nuts 7 are alined with the slot 10and the nuts are also provided with means for securing them to thebridge piece 9, said means consisting of a pin 12 secured at one end toeach nut and having its opposite end provided with a head 13 engagingthe face of the bridge piece 9 opposite to that formed with the groove.

Preferably the groove 8 is formed in the inner side of the bridge pieceand the heads 13 engage the outer face thereof.

Said bridge piece is provided with tongues 14 at its opposite ends forinterlocking with the inner face of the margin 6 of the Wall around theopening 2, and is supported and movable in suitable guides 15 extendingthrough the opening 2 from the body 16 of the attaching means. Said bodyis here shown as an annular plate resting on the outer face of themargin of the wall around the opening 2, the bridge piece 9 beingmovable in order to clamp the tongues 14 on the inner face of saidmargin, during the screwing of the fastening screws 5 into the nuts 7.The manner of assembly of the bridge piece 9 and the body 16 forms nopart of this invention.

In operation the electrical appliance or switch is first attached to thebridge piece by adjusting the nuts 7 the proper distance apart toaccommodate the screws 5 of the appliance, and one of the tongues 14: atone end of the bridge piece 9 is inserted under the margin 6, Fig. 2,while the other lug 14 is alined with a notch 17 in the margin 6,preliminary to being moved through such notch to the inner side of themargin in po sition to be turned slightly to interlock with such margin.After the attaching means have been placed in position on the base thefastening screws 5 are additionally tightened for moving the bridgepiece 9 toward the inner face of the margin and thereby clamping theattaching means in position.

What we claim is:

1. Means for attaching to conduit outlet boxes having openings,electrical appliances having fastening members located at differentdistances from their centers, said means comprising a supporting memberhaving a slot, and a nut in the slot, the nut having surfaces slidablyengaging the side walls of the slot. whereby the nut is held fromturning, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. Means for attaching to conduit outlet boxes having openings,electrical appliances having fastening members located at differentdistances from their centers, said means comprising a supporting memberhaving a slot, a nut in the slot, the nut having surfaces slidablyengaging the side walls of the slot, whereby the nut is held fromturning, the nut having means associated therewith extending through theslot and engaging the side of the supporting member opposite to that onwhich the nut is located. for holding the nut from detachment from thesupport, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. Means for attaching to conduit outlet boxes having openings,electrical appliances having fastening screws spaced different distancesapart, said means comprising a pair of nuts adjustable rectilinearly,and means for supporting the nuts and for holding the nuts from turningmovement, the nuts being slidable rectilinearly along the supportingmeans, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

l. The combination with an electric con duit outlet box having anopening in one side thereof; of means adapted to attach to the boxelectrical appliances-having fastening members located differentdistances from their centers, said means being arranged in the openingand being formed with a guide groove in one side thereof, and a slotopening through the bottom of the groove, and a nut adjustable in thegroove and having a threaded opening alined with the slot, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

5. Means for attaching to conduit outlet boxes having openings,electrical appliances having fastening members located different 90distances from their centers, said means comprising a supporting memberadapted to extend crosswise of the opening of the box, and a partslidable rectilinearly along the supporting member for coacting with thefastening member of an electrical appliance, the

supporting member being formed with a lengthwiseslot through which thefastening member projects, and means coacting with said slidable partand the fastening member for holding said part in its adjusted position,the last-mentioned means extending through the slot, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

6. Means for attaching to conduit outlet boxes having openings,electrical appliances having fastening screws located differentdistances from their centers, said means comprising a supporting memberformed with a guide groove, and with a slot in the bottom 11@ of theguide groove, and a pair of nuts located in the groove and engaging theside walls of the groove, the nuts being adjustable along the slot andhaving their threaded openings alined with the slot, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

7. The combination with an electric conduit outlet box having an openingin one side thereof; of means adapted to attach to the box electricalappliances having fastening screws spaced different distances apart,said means comprising a bridge piece extending across the opening, andformed with a lengthwise guide groove on its inner face, and with alengthwise slot extending through the bottom of the groove, a pair ofnuts, one being slidable in the groove and having its threaded openingalined with the slot, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The combination with an electric conduit outlet box having an openingin one side thereof; of means adapted to attach to the box electricalappliances having fastening screws spaced different distances apart,said means comprising a bridge piece extending across the opening, andformed with a guide groove on its inner face and with a lengthwise slotextending through the bottom of the groove, a pair of nuts slidable inthe groove and having their threaded openings alined with the slot, thenuts also having means extending through the slot and engaging the outerface of the bridge piece, Eulastantially as and for the purpose speci-In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presenceof two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse in the county of Onondaga, inthe State of New York, this 7th day of July 1911.

JOHN E. PARKER. DANIEL B. WINTER. Witnesses:

C. C. SoHoENEoK, WM. CORNELL BLANDING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Pain, Washington, D G.

